Floyd English

I thought the visuals and special effects were exceptional and distinctive from the original. The story is as dated. As a black person I found the context of the plot disturbing as in the original. The natives were treated as victims who fought battles that would eventually would lead to nothing tangible except retaliation from the white man. This reminded me of the plight of Native American tribes and how caucasians decimated them by the millions and relegated them to the reservations we know today. Visuals great but the story is an old one of pain, death, and suffering from colonization by outsiders looking to plunder nature for limited treasure. A more interesting twist would have been the introduction of native like tribe technologically advanced enough to strike back at earth on behalf of the Pandora people. I give the movie 5 stars for visuals and 1 star for the narrative.

If you’re going to remake a film made over 30 years ago then at least cast the movie with a cast more diverse in the lead role. Zendaya can’t be every black person. It was typical Hollywood. White male as the ruler, savior, and god to be elevated by the gracious masses. Enough. The movie was mediocre at best and visually no equal to Lawrence of Arabia. It motivated me to watch Black Panther instead.